On-demand cloud robots for robotic process automation

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for implementing robotic process automation (RPA) in the cloud are provided. An instruction for managing an RPA robot is received at an orchestrator in a cloud computing environment from a user in a local computing environment. In response to receiving the instruction, the instruction for managing the RPA robot is effectuated.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/725,706, filed Dec. 23, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to robotic process automation,and more particularly to on-demand cloud robots for robotic processautomation.

BACKGROUND

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a form of process automation thatuses software robots to automate workflows. Typically, RPA isimplemented for an enterprise on a local computing infrastructure thatis managed by the enterprise. However, such local implementation of RPArequires the maintenance of a large computing infrastructure forprovisioning servers that are continuously running. Recently, cloudcomputing technology has been leveraged to implement robots in thecloud. However, the cost of maintaining continuously running robots inthe cloud is prohibitive.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one or more embodiments, systems and methods forcloud-based management of robotic process automation (RPA) robots areprovided. An instruction for managing an RPA robot is received at anorchestrator in a cloud computing environment from a user in a localcomputing environment. The instruction may include an instruction forcreating the RPA robot, provisioning the RPA robot, scheduling a task onthe RPA robot, or decommissioning the RPA robot. In response toreceiving the instruction, the instruction for managing the RPA robot iseffectuated.

In one embodiment, where the instruction for managing the RPA robot isan instruction for creating the RPA robot, the instruction iseffectuated by creating the RPA robot for execution in a cloud networkmanaged by the user in the cloud computing environment, creating the RPArobot for execution in a cloud network managed by a cloud serviceprovider (associated with the orchestrator) in the cloud computingenvironment, or by creating the RPA robot for execution in a localnetwork managed by the user in the local computing environment.

In one embodiment, the RPA robot is for performing tasks in the cloudcomputing environment and transmitting results of the tasks to the localcomputing environment. The RPA robot is in a standby mode having reducedoperating costs when the RPA robot is not performing a task.

In accordance with one embodiment, systems and methods for cloud-basedmanagement of robotic process automation (RPA) robots are provided. Acloud robot pool is maintained in a cloud computing environment. Thecloud robot pool includes one or more cloud RPA robots for performing atask in a cloud computing environment for a user in a local computingenvironment. The cloud robot pool is managed using a cloud orchestratorimplemented in the cloud computing environment.

In one embodiment, managing the cloud robot pool includes one or more ofcreating a new cloud RPA robot in the cloud robot pool, provisioning theone or more cloud RPA robots, scheduling a task on the one or more cloudRPA robots, or decommissioning the one or more cloud RPA robots.

In one embodiment, the cloud robot pool includes a cloud managed robotpool comprising one or more cloud managed RPA robots executed in a cloudnetwork managed by the user or a cloud service robot pool comprising oneor more cloud service RPA robots executed in a cloud network managed bya cloud service provider. The one or more cloud RPA robots are in astandby mode having reduced operating costs when the one or more cloudRPA robots are not performing a task. In one embodiment, a local robotpool comprising one or more local RPA robots executed in a local networkmanaged by the user is also maintained.

These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detaileddescription and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an architectural diagram illustrating a robotic processautomation system, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an architectural diagram illustrating an example of a deployedrobotic process automation system, according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is an architectural diagram illustrating a simplified deploymentexample of a robotic process automation system, according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a network architecture for implementing cloud-basedmanagement of robotic process automation robots, according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a method for cloud-based management of robotic processautomation robots, according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computing system according to anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Robotic process automation (RPA) is used for automating various tasksand workflows. FIG. 1 is an architectural diagram of an RPA system 100,in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1 , RPAsystem 100 includes a designer 102 to allow a developer to designautomation processes using workflows. More specifically, designer 102facilitates the development and deployment of workflows and robots forperforming activities in the workflows. Designer 102 may provide asolution for application integration, as well as automating third-partyapplications, administrative Information Technology (IT) tasks, andbusiness processes for contact center operations. One commercial exampleof an embodiment of designer 102 is UiPath Studio™.

In designing the automation of rule-based processes, the developercontrols the execution order and the relationship between a custom setof steps developed in a workflow, defined herein as “activities.” Eachactivity may include an action, such as clicking a button, reading afile, writing to a log panel, etc. In some embodiments, workflows may benested or embedded.

Some types of workflows may include, but are not limited to, sequences,flowcharts, Finite State Machines (FSMs), and/or global exceptionhandlers. Sequences may be particularly suitable for linear processes,enabling flow from one activity to another without cluttering aworkflow. Flowcharts may be particularly suitable to more complexbusiness logic, enabling integration of decisions and connection ofactivities in a more diverse manner through multiple branching logicoperators. FSMs may be particularly suitable for large workflows. FSMsmay use a finite number of states in their execution, which aretriggered by a condition (i.e., transition) or an activity. Globalexception handlers may be particularly suitable for determining workflowbehavior when encountering an execution error and for debuggingprocesses.

Once a workflow is developed in designer 102, execution of businessprocesses is orchestrated by a conductor 104, which orchestrates one ormore robots 106 that execute the workflows developed in designer 102.One commercial example of an embodiment of conductor 104 is UiPathOrchestrator™. Conductor 220 facilitates management of the creation,monitoring, and deployment of resources in an RPA environment. In oneexample, conductor 104 is a web application. Conductor 104 may alsofunction as an integration point with third-party solutions andapplications.

Conductor 104 may manage a fleet of robots 106 by connecting andexecuting robots 106 from a centralized point. Conductor 104 may havevarious capabilities including, but not limited to, provisioning,deployment, configuration, queueing, monitoring, logging, and/orproviding interconnectivity. Provisioning may include creation andmaintenance of connections between robots 106 and conductor 104 (e.g., aweb application). Deployment may include assuring the correct deliveryof package versions to assigned robots 106 for execution. Configurationmay include maintenance and delivery of robot environments and processconfigurations. Queueing may include providing management of queues andqueue items. Monitoring may include keeping track of robotidentification data and maintaining user permissions. Logging mayinclude storing and indexing logs to a database (e.g., an SQL database)and/or another storage mechanism (e.g., ElasticSearch®, which providesthe ability to store and quickly query large datasets). Conductor 104may provide interconnectivity by acting as the centralized point ofcommunication for third-party solutions and/or applications.

Robots 106 are execution agents that run workflows built in designer102. One commercial example of some embodiments of robots 106 is UiPathRobots™. Types of robots 106 may include, but are not limited to,attended robots 108 and unattended robots 110. Attended robots 108 aretriggered by a user or user events and operate alongside a human user onthe same computing system. Attended robots 108 may help the human useraccomplish various tasks, and may be triggered directly by the humanuser and/or by user events. In the case of attended robots, conductor104 may provide centralized process deployment and a logging medium. Incertain embodiments, attended robots 108 can only be started from a“robot tray” or from a command prompt in a web application. Unattendedrobots 110 operate in an unattended mode in virtual environments and canbe used for automating many processes, e.g., for high-volume, back-endprocesses and so on. Unattended robots 110 may be responsible for remoteexecution, monitoring, scheduling, and providing support for workqueues. Both attended and unattended robots may automate various systemsand applications including, but not limited to, mainframes, webapplications, VMs, enterprise applications (e.g., those produced bySAP®, SalesForce®, Oracle®, etc.), and computing system applications(e.g., desktop and laptop applications, mobile device applications,wearable computer applications, etc.).

In some embodiments, robots 106 install the Microsoft Windows® ServiceControl Manager (SCM)-managed service by default. As a result, suchrobots 106 can open interactive Windows® sessions under the local systemaccount, and have the rights of a Windows® service. In some embodiments,robots 106 can be installed in a user mode with the same rights as theuser under which a given robot 106 has been installed.

Robots 106 in some embodiments are split into several components, eachbeing dedicated to a particular task. Robot components in someembodiments include, but are not limited to, SCM-managed robot services,user mode robot services, executors, agents, and command line.SCM-managed robot services manage and monitor Windows® sessions and actas a proxy between conductor 104 and the execution hosts (i.e., thecomputing systems on which robots 106 are executed). These services aretrusted with and manage the credentials for robots 106. A consoleapplication is launched by the SCM under the local system. User moderobot services in some embodiments manage and monitor Windows® sessionsand act as a proxy between conductor 104 and the execution hosts. Usermode robot services may be trusted with and manage the credentials forrobots 106. A Windows® application may automatically be launched if theSCM-managed robot service is not installed. Executors may run given jobsunder a Windows® session (e.g., they may execute workflows) and they maybe aware of per-monitor dots per inch (DPI) settings. Agents may beWindows® Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications that display theavailable jobs in the system tray window. Agents may be a client of theservice. Agents may request to start or stop jobs and change settings.Command line is a client of the service and is a console applicationthat can request to start jobs and waits for their output. Splittingrobot components can help developers, support users, and enablecomputing systems to more easily run, identify, and track what eachrobot component is executing. For example, special behaviors may beconfigured per robot component, such as setting up different firewallrules for the executor and the service. As a further example, anexecutor may be aware of DPI settings per monitor in some embodimentsand, as a result, workflows may be executed at any DPI regardless of theconfiguration of the computing system on which they were created.

FIG. 2 shows an RPA system 200, in accordance with one or moreembodiments. RPA system 200 may be, or may be part of, RPA system 100 ofFIG. 1 . It should be noted that the “client side”, the “server side”,or both, may include any desired number of computing systems withoutdeviating from the scope of the invention.

As shown on the client side in this embodiment, computing system 202includes one or more executors 204, agent 206, and designer 208. Inother embodiments, designer 208 may not be running on the same computingsystem 202. An executor 204 (which may be a robot component as describedabove) runs a process and, in some embodiments, multiple businessprocesses may run simultaneously. In this example, agent 206 (e.g., aWindows® service) is the single point of contact for managing executors204.

In some embodiments, a robot represents an association between a machinename and a username. A robot may manage multiple executors at the sametime. On computing systems that support multiple interactive sessionsrunning simultaneously (e.g., Windows® Server 2012), multiple robots maybe running at the same time (e.g., a high density (HD) environment),each in a separate Windows® session using a unique username.

Agent 206 is also responsible for sending the status of the robot (e.g.,periodically sending a “heartbeat” message indicating that the robot isstill functioning) and downloading the required version of the packageto be executed. The communication between agent 206 and conductor 212 isinitiated by agent 206 in some embodiments. In the example of anotification scenario, agent 206 may open a WebSocket channel that islater used by conductor 212 to send commands to the robot (e.g., start,stop, etc.).

As shown on the server side in this embodiment, a presentation layercomprises web application 214, Open Data Protocol (OData) RepresentativeState Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) endpoints216 and notification and monitoring API 218. A service layer on theserver side includes API implementation/business logic 220. Apersistence layer on the server side includes database server 222 andindexer server 224. Conductor 212 includes web application 214, ODataREST API endpoints 216, notification and monitoring API 218, and APIimplementation/business logic 220.

In various embodiments, most actions that a user performs in theinterface of conductor 212 (e.g., via browser 210) are performed bycalling various APIs. Such actions may include, but are not limited to,starting jobs on robots, adding/removing data in queues, scheduling jobsto run unattended, and so on. Web application 214 is the visual layer ofthe server platform. In this embodiment, web application 214 usesHypertext Markup Language (HTML) and JavaScript (JS). However, anydesired markup languages, script languages, or any other formats may beused without deviating from the scope of the invention. The userinteracts with web pages from web application 214 via browser 210 inthis embodiment in order to perform various actions to control conductor212. For instance, the user may create robot groups, assign packages tothe robots, analyze logs per robot and/or per process, start and stoprobots, etc.

In addition to web application 214, conductor 212 also includes aservice layer that exposes OData REST API endpoints 216 (or otherendpoints may be implemented without deviating from the scope of theinvention). The REST API is consumed by both web application 214 andagent 206. Agent 206 is the supervisor of one or more robots on theclient computer in this exemplary configuration.

The REST API in this embodiment covers configuration, logging,monitoring, and queueing functionality. The configuration REST endpointsmay be used to define and configure application users, permissions,robots, assets, releases, and environments in some embodiments. LoggingREST endpoints may be useful for logging different information, such aserrors, explicit messages sent by the robots, and otherenvironment-specific information, for example. Deployment REST endpointsmay be used by the robots to query the package version that should beexecuted if the start job command is used in conductor 212. QueueingREST endpoints may be responsible for queues and queue item management,such as adding data to a queue, obtaining a transaction from the queue,setting the status of a transaction, etc. Monitoring REST endpointsmonitor web application 214 and agent 206. Notification and monitoringAPI 218 may be REST endpoints that are used for registering agent 206,delivering configuration settings to agent 206, and forsending/receiving notifications from the server and agent 206.Notification and monitoring API 218 may also use WebSocket communicationin some embodiments.

The persistence layer on the server side includes a pair of servers inthis illustrative embodiment—database server 222 (e.g., a SQL server)and indexer server 224. Database server 222 in this embodiment storesthe configurations of the robots, robot groups, associated processes,users, roles, schedules, etc. This information is managed through webapplication 214 in some embodiments. Database server 222 may also managequeues and queue items. In some embodiments, database server 222 maystore messages logged by the robots (in addition to or in lieu ofindexer server 224). Indexer server 224, which is optional in someembodiments, stores and indexes the information logged by the robots. Incertain embodiments, indexer server 224 may be disabled throughconfiguration settings. In some embodiments, indexer server 224 usesElasticSearch®, which is an open source project full-text search engine.Messages logged by robots (e.g., using activities like log message orwrite line) may be sent through the logging REST endpoint(s) to indexerserver 224, where they are indexed for future utilization.

FIG. 3 is an architectural diagram illustrating a simplified deploymentexample of RPA system 300, in accordance with one or more embodiments.In some embodiments, RPA system 300 may be, or may include RPA systems100 and/or 200 of FIGS. 1 and 2 , respective. RPA system 300 includesmultiple client computing systems 302 running robots. Computing systems302 are able to communicate with a conductor computing system 304 via aweb application running thereon. Conductor computing system 304, inturn, communicates with database server 306 and an optional indexerserver 308. With respect to FIGS. 2 and 3 , it should be noted thatwhile a web application is used in these embodiments, any suitableclient/server software may be used without deviating from the scope ofthe invention. For instance, the conductor may run a server-sideapplication that communicates with non-web-based client softwareapplications on the client computing systems.

In one embodiment, RPA system 300 may be implemented for cloud-basedmanagement of RPA robots. Such cloud-based management of RPA robotsenables RPA to be provided as Software as a Service (SaaS). Accordingly,conductor 304 is implemented in the cloud for cloud-based management ofRPA robots to, e.g., create RPA robots, provision RPA robots, scheduletasks on RPA robots, decommission RPA robots, or effectuate any otherorchestration task for managing RPA robots.

FIG. 4 shows a network architecture 400 for implementing cloud-basedmanagement of RPA robots, in accordance with one or more embodiments.Network architecture 400 comprises a cloud computing environment 402 anda local computing environment 404. Local computing environment 404represents a local network architecture of a user or any other entity orentities, such as, e.g., a company, a corporation, etc. Local computingenvironment 404 comprises local network 406. Cloud computing environment402 represents a cloud computing network architecture that providesservices or processing of workloads remote from the user at localcomputing environment 404. Cloud computing environment 402 comprisesvarious cloud networks, including internet 414, user cloud network 418representing a cloud network managed (or controlled) by the user andhosted by a cloud platform provider, and a cloud service provider cloudnetwork 420 representing a cloud network managed by a cloud serviceprovider and hosted by a cloud platform provider. The cloud serviceprovider is an entity that provides services (e.g., RPA) via the cloud.The cloud platform provider is an entity that maintains cloud computinginfrastructure. Local network 406 of local computing environment 404 iscommunicatively coupled to internet 414 of cloud computing environment402 to facilitate communication between local computing environment 404and cloud computing environment 402.

As shown in FIG. 4 , a cloud orchestrator 430 is implemented in cloudcomputing environment 402 to enable cloud-based management of RPArobots. In particular, cloud orchestrator 430 is managed by a cloudservice provider and hosted in cloud service provider cloud network 420within cloud computing environment 402. In one embodiment, the cloudservice provider provides RPA to the user in local computing environment404.

Cloud orchestrator 430 manages RPA robots in cloud computing environment402. In particular, the user interacts with computing device 412 inlocal computing environment 404 to transmit instructions for managingRPA robots to cloud orchestrator 430 in cloud computing environment 402.Alternatively, the user interacts with computing device 412 in localcomputing environment 404 to set a schedule on cloud orchestrator 430 toautomatically transmit instructions on behalf of the user for managingRPA robots. Exemplary instructions for managing RPA robots includeinstructions for creating RPA robots, provisioning RPA robots,scheduling a task on RPA robots (e.g., schedule a time for performingthe task and a type of robot to perform the task), decommissioning RPArobots, or any other orchestration instructions for RPA robots. Inresponse to receiving the instructions, cloud orchestrator 430effectuates the instructions by, e.g., creating the RPA robots,provisioning the RPA robots, scheduling the task of the RPA robot,decommissioning the RPA robots, etc. In one embodiment, cloudorchestrator 430 also facilitates secure access control and managesrobot licenses. In one embodiment, cloud orchestrator 430 may be similarto conductor 104 of FIG. 1 , conductor 212 of FIG. 2 , or conductor 304of FIG. 3 , but implemented in cloud service provider cloud network 420within cloud computing environment 402.

The RPA robots managed by cloud orchestrator 430 may include a pool ofcloud robots that are deployed and maintained within cloud computingenvironment 402. Such cloud robots may include one or more cloud servicerobots 428-A, . . . , 428-X (hereinafter collectively referred to ascloud service robots 428) of cloud service robot pool 426 and one ormore cloud managed robots 424-A, . . . , 424-Y (hereinafter collectivelyreferred to as cloud managed robots 424) of cloud managed robot pool422. Such cloud robots perform (i.e., process) tasks in cloud computingenvironment 402 and transmit results of the tasks to the user in localcomputing environment 404. Additionally or alternatively, the RPA robotsmanaged by cloud orchestrator 430 may include one or more local robots410-A, . . . , 410-Z (hereinafter collectively referred to as localrobots 410) of local robot pool 408.

Cloud service robots 428 are maintained by the cloud service provider incloud service provider cloud network 420 for performing RPA tasks incloud computing environment 402 for the user in local networkenvironment 404. Cloud service robots 428 are created upon request bythe user sending instructions from computing device 412 to cloudorchestrator 430. Upon creation, cloud service robots 428 enter into astandby mode while waiting to perform a task (or workflow). While instandby mode, the cost for running the cloud service robots 428 isminimized or otherwise reduced. Tasks are scheduled on cloud servicerobots 428 by the user sending instructions from computing device 412 tocloud orchestrator 430. The instructions for scheduling tasks definesthe time for performing the task and a type of robot for performing thetask. Cloud service robots 428 wake up from standby mode to perform thetask and return to standby mode once the task is complete. Accordingly,cloud service robots 428 perform the tasks on cloud service providercloud network 420 for the user in local computing environment 404.

Cloud service robot pool 426 is maintained by the cloud service providerin cloud service provider cloud network 420 to include cloud servicerobots of different types. For example, cloud service robot pool 426 mayinclude standard robots or custom robots. Standard robots are defined bythe user using standard machine templates, which provide a standardpredetermined set of software to the robots. Standard robots may be,e.g., machines with only a standard browser used for web automation,machines with an operating system installed for performing virtualdesktop infrastructure (VDI) automation, machines with standardapplications for performing desktop automation, or a combinationthereof. Custom robots are defined by the user using custom machinetemplates, which provide a custom set of software to the robots. Thecustom machine templates may be uploaded by the user as a machine imagefor the cloud service provider to use when creating the custom robots.Custom machine images may include proprietary software that is owned bythe user or special-licensed applications that were purchased by theuser. Standard and custom robots are used to run automations (processes)that were submitted to cloud orchestrator 430. Cloud orchestrator 430awaits instructions to execute automations from either: a) the userdirectly through manual invocation, or b) through previously scheduledregular automations. Once cloud orchestrator 430 is ready to execute anautomation, it inspects the type of process and identifies whether itneeds a standard robot or a custom robot to execute that automation.Once the robot type is identified, cloud orchestrator 430 inspects robotpools available for that robot type to find an available robot that isalready running or an available robot that is almost finished with ajob. If a robot of that type is already running, cloud orchestrator 430will utilize that robot to avoid starting a new robot unnecessarily inan effort to minimize costs. If no robots are running, it will start arobot that is on standby and submit the job request to that robot.

In one embodiment, algorithms may be applied to maximize the utilizationof the robots in cloud service robot pool 426 and to reduce operatingcosts for the user. Cloud orchestrator 430 will look ahead at theupcoming planned schedule of automation and optimize a plan for how toparallelize and queue automations so that they run on the minimum numberof robots. Once the schedule is defined, cloud orchestrator 430 will usethe schedule to run automations. Additionally, cloud orchestrator 430will be constantly monitoring the state of running robots and modify theplanned schedule based on real-measured execution of the robots. Thisresults in maximizing the utilization of the running robots and reducingthe costs of running additional robots.

In one embodiment, cloud service robot pool 426 may service multipleusers in a multi-tenant environment.

Cloud managed robots 424 are maintained by the user in a user cloudnetwork 418 for performing RPA tasks in cloud computing environment 402for the user in local network environment 404. Cloud managed robots 424are similar in capability to cloud service robots 428 and are alsohosted in cloud computing environment 402. However, user cloud network418, upon which cloud managed robots 424 are hosted, is managed by theuser while cloud service provider cloud network 420, upon which cloudservice robots 428 are hosted, is managed by the cloud service providerand hosted by the cloud platform provider. Cloud orchestrator 430manages cloud managed robots 424 by establishing a connection betweencloud service provider cloud network 420 and user cloud network 418.User cloud network 418 may be established by the user utilizing cloudprovider technology to tunnel back to local network 406. The user canestablish a dedicated network connection from local network 406 to cloudservice provider cloud network 420. Connectivity is typically in theform of, e.g., an any-to-any (e.g., internet protocol virtual privatenetwork) network, a point-to-point Ethernet network, or a virtualcross-connection through a connectivity provider at a co-locationfacility. These connections do not go over the public Internet. Thisoffers more reliability, faster speeds, consistent latencies, and highersecurity than typical connections over the Internet. User cloud network418 continues to be fully controlled and managed by the user, therebyproviding stringent control over data to the user.

Once the connection between cloud service provider cloud network 420 anduser cloud network 418 has been established, cloud managed robots 424are created upon request by the user interacting with cloud orchestrator430 via computing device 412. Cloud managed robots 424 are created onuser cloud network 418. Accordingly, cloud managed robots 424 performthe tasks on user cloud network 418 for the user in local computingenvironment 404. Algorithms may be applied to maximize the utilizationof the robots in cloud managed robot pool 422 and to reduce operatingcosts for the user.

Local robots 410 are maintained by the user in local network 406 forperforming RPA tasks for the user in local network environment 404.Local network 406 is controlled or otherwise managed by the user. CloudOrchestrator 430 maintains a connection to local robots 410 throughstandard HTTPS connectivity. Local robots 410 are configured using asecure network key that the user extracts from the user interface ofcloud orchestrator 430. Using that secure key, local robots 410 reachout to cloud orchestrator 430 and establish a secure connection. Alltraffic happens as outbound requests from the local robots 410. Thisminimizes the need for inbound connectivity from the cloud to localnetwork 406 which improves security.

FIG. 5 shows a method 500 for cloud-based management of RPA robots, inaccordance with one or more embodiments. Method 500 will be describedwith continued reference to network architecture 400 of FIG. 4 . In oneembodiment, the steps of method 500 are performed by cloud orchestrator430.

At step 502, an instruction for managing an RPA robot is received at anorchestrator 430 in a cloud computing environment 402 from a user in alocal computing environment 404. The instruction for managing the RPArobot may include, for example, an instruction for creating the RPArobot, provisioning the RPA robot, scheduling a task on the RPA robot,and/or decommissioning the RPA robot. The RPA robot may include localrobots 410, cloud managed robots 424, or cloud service robots 428. Thecloud managed robots 424 and cloud service robots 428 are for performingRPA tasks in the cloud computing environment and transmitting results ofthe RPA tasks to the user in the local computing environment 404. Whilenot performing a task, the RPA robots are in a standby mode havingreduced operating costs.

At step 504, in response to receiving the instruction, the instructionfor managing the RPA robot is effectuated. In one embodiment, where theinstruction for managing the RPA robot is an instruction for creatingthe RPA robot, the instruction is effectuated by creating the RPA robotfor execution in a cloud network 418 managed by the user in the cloudcomputing environment 402, by creating the RPA robot for execution in acloud network 420 managed by a cloud service provider (associated withthe cloud orchestrator 430) in the cloud computing environment 402, orby creating the RPA robot for execution in a local network 406 managedby the user in the local computing environment 404.

Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention enable RPA as aSaaS. Such SaaS RPA enables users to create and scale the number ofrobots on demand for automating tasks using the cloud, for example,during a time period of peak usage. Such SaaS RPA lowers the total costof ownership for the user by reducing cloud operating costs, simplifiesthe network infrastructure required to implement RPA, and enables asecure cloud-based infrastructure for implementing RPA.

One illustrative application of embodiments of the present inventionwill be described with reference to FIG. 4 . An airline company mayutilize RPA robots for customer service to modify airline bookings. Theairline company provisions ten RPA robots as local robots 410 on a localcomputing environment 404, which is sufficient for handling customerservice at a regular load. Occasionally, the airline company will havean emergency, such as, e.g., a thunderstorm at one of their hubs thatmay require grounding a few hundred airplanes within a time period of afew hours, resulting in tens of thousands of customers stranded atairports and attempting to reschedule their flights. Customer servicerepresentatives at the airport and the ten RPA robots are unable tohandle this additional load. Advantageously, embodiments of the presentinvention enable the airline company to scale up the number of RPArobots to a few hundred RPA robots as cloud service robots 428 to helpserve the stranded customers immediately. The airline company is able toscale the number of RPA robots without having to manage theinfrastructure for the additional RPA robots or having to provision theRPA robots for peak capacity during normal operation times. Further, theairline company would only pay for the additional RPA robots during peakusage, thereby reducing costs.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system 600 configuredto execute the methods described in reference to FIG. 5 , according toan embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, computingsystem 600 may be one or more of the computing systems depicted and/ordescribed herein, such as, e.g., conductor 104, robots 106, unattendedrobot 110, and attended robot 108 of FIG. 1 , conductor 212 of FIG. 2 ,robots 302 and conductor 304 of FIG. 3 , and local robots 410, computingdevice 412, cloud managed robots 424, cloud service robots 428, andcloud orchestrator 430 of FIG. 4 . Computing system 600 includes a bus602 or other communication mechanism for communicating information, andprocessor(s) 604 coupled to bus 602 for processing information.Processor(s) 604 may be any type of general or specific purposeprocessor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), multiple instances thereof,and/or any combination thereof. Processor(s) 604 may also have multipleprocessing cores, and at least some of the cores may be configured toperform specific functions. Multi-parallel processing may be used insome embodiments.

Computing system 600 further includes a memory 606 for storinginformation and instructions to be executed by processor(s) 604. Memory606 can be comprised of any combination of Random Access Memory (RAM),Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, cache, static storage such as amagnetic or optical disk, or any other types of non-transitorycomputer-readable media or combinations thereof. Non-transitorycomputer-readable media may be any available media that can be accessedby processor(s) 604 and may include volatile media, non-volatile media,or both. The media may also be removable, non-removable, or both.

Additionally, computing system 600 includes a communication device 608,such as a transceiver, to provide access to a communications network viaa wireless and/or wired connection according to any currently existingor future-implemented communications standard and/or protocol.

Processor(s) 604 are further coupled via bus 602 to a display 610 thatis suitable for displaying information to a user. Display 610 may alsobe configured as a touch display and/or any suitable haptic I/O device.

A keyboard 612 and a cursor control device 614, such as a computermouse, a touchpad, etc., are further coupled to bus 602 to enable a userto interface with computing system. However, in certain embodiments, aphysical keyboard and mouse may not be present, and the user mayinteract with the device solely through display 610 and/or a touchpad(not shown). Any type and combination of input devices may be used as amatter of design choice. In certain embodiments, no physical inputdevice and/or display is present. For instance, the user may interactwith computing system 600 remotely via another computing system incommunication therewith, or computing system 600 may operateautonomously.

Memory 606 stores software modules that provide functionality whenexecuted by processor(s) 604. The modules include an operating system616 for computing system 600 and one or more additional functionalmodules 618 configured to perform all or part of the processes describedherein or derivatives thereof.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that a “system” could be embodiedas a server, an embedded computing system, a personal computer, aconsole, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cell phone, a tabletcomputing device, a quantum computing system, or any other suitablecomputing device, or combination of devices without deviating from thescope of the invention. Presenting the above-described functions asbeing performed by a “system” is not intended to limit the scope of thepresent invention in any way, but is intended to provide one example ofthe many embodiments of the present invention. Indeed, methods, systems,and apparatuses disclosed herein may be implemented in localized anddistributed forms consistent with computing technology, including cloudcomputing systems.

It should be noted that some of the system features described in thisspecification have been presented as modules, in order to moreparticularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, amodule may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom verylarge scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelfsemiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discretecomponents. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardwaredevices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable arraylogic, programmable logic devices, graphics processing units, or thelike. A module may also be at least partially implemented in softwarefor execution by various types of processors. An identified unit ofexecutable code may, for instance, include one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions that may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified module need not be physically locatedtogether, but may include disparate instructions stored in differentlocations that, when joined logically together, comprise the module andachieve the stated purpose for the module. Further, modules may bestored on a computer-readable medium, which may be, for instance, a harddisk drive, flash device, RAM, tape, and/or any other suchnon-transitory computer-readable medium used to store data withoutdeviating from the scope of the invention. Indeed, a module ofexecutable code could be a single instruction, or many instructions, andmay even be distributed over several different code segments, amongdifferent programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly,operational data may be identified and illustrated herein withinmodules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized withinany suitable type of data structure. The operational data may becollected as a single data set, or may be distributed over differentlocations including over different storage devices, and may exist, atleast partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. Itwill thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able todevise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described orshown herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and are includedwithin its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples and conditionallanguage recited herein are principally intended to be only forpedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principlesof the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor tofurthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitationto such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, allstatements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of thedisclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, at an orchestrator in a provider cloud network, aninstruction from a computing device in a local computing environment formanaging a robotic process automation (RPA) robot using a connectionestablished between the provider cloud network and the local computingenvironment via a user cloud network; and effectuating, by theorchestrator, the instruction for managing the RPA robot in response toreceiving the instruction.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the instruction for managing the RPA robot comprises aninstruction for creating the RPA robot.
 3. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 2, wherein effectuating the instruction for managing theRPA robot comprises: creating the RPA robot in the user cloud network,the user cloud network managed by a user.
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 2, wherein effectuating the instruction for managing theRPA robot comprises: creating the RPA robot in the provider cloudnetwork, the provider cloud network managed by a cloud service provider.5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the instructionfor managing the RPA robot comprises an instruction for provisioning theRPA robot.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein theinstruction for managing the RPA robot comprises an instruction forscheduling a task on the RPA robot.
 7. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the instruction for managing the RPA robot comprisesan instruction for decommissioning the RPA robot.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: executing atask by the RPA robot executing in at least one of the provider cloudnetwork or the user cloud network; and transmitting, to the computingdevice, results of the task from the RPA robot executing in the at leastone of the provider cloud network or the user cloud network.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the RPA robot is in astandby mode having reduced operating costs when the RPA robot is notperforming a task.
 10. A cloud computing environment comprising: aprocessor; a memory; a cloud robot pool comprising one or more roboticprocess automation (RPA) robots; and a cloud orchestrator, executing ina provider cloud network, configured to: receive an instruction from acomputing device in a local computing environment for managing the cloudrobot pool using a connection established between the provider cloudnetwork and the local computing environment via a user cloud network,and effectuate the instruction for managing the cloud robot pool inresponse to receiving the instruction.
 11. The cloud computingenvironment of claim 10, wherein the instruction for managing the cloudrobot pool comprises an instruction for creating the one or more RPArobots.
 12. The cloud computing environment of claim 11, whereineffectuating the instruction for managing the cloud robot poolcomprises: creating the one or more RPA robots in the user cloudnetwork, the user cloud network managed by a user.
 13. The cloudcomputing environment of claim 11, wherein effectuating the instructionfor managing the cloud robot pool comprises: creating the one or moreRPA robots in the provider cloud network, the provider cloud networkmanaged by a cloud service provider.
 14. The cloud computing environmentof claim 10, wherein the instruction for managing the cloud robot poolcomprises an instruction for provisioning the one or more RPA robots.15. The cloud computing environment of claim 10, wherein the instructionfor managing the cloud robot pool comprises an instruction forscheduling a task on the one or more RPA robots.
 16. The cloud computingenvironment of claim 10, wherein the instruction for managing the cloudrobot pool comprises an instruction for decommissioning the one or moreRPA robots.
 17. The cloud computing environment of claim 10, wherein theone or more RPA robots are configured to: execute a task in at least oneof the provider cloud network or the user cloud network; and transmit,to the computing device, results of the task.
 18. The cloud computingenvironment of claim 11, wherein the one or more RPA robots are in astandby mode having reduced operating costs when the one or more RPArobots are not performing a task.
 19. A computer-implemented methodcomprising: maintaining a cloud robot pool comprising one or morerobotic process automation (RPA) robots; and managing the cloud robotpool using a cloud orchestrator implemented in a provider cloud network,the cloud orchestrator: receiving an instruction from a computing devicein a local computing environment for managing the cloud robot pool usinga connection established between the provider cloud network and thelocal computing environment via a user cloud network, and effectuatingthe instruction for managing the cloud robot pool in response toreceiving the instruction.
 20. The computer-implemented method of claim19, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction for creating theone or more RPA robots.
 21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20,wherein effectuating an instruction for managing the one or more RPArobots comprises: creating the one or more RPA robots in the user cloudnetwork, the user cloud network managed by a user.
 22. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein effectuating aninstruction for managing the one or more RPA robots comprises: creatingthe one or more RPA robots in the provider cloud network, the providercloud network managed by a cloud service provider.
 23. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the instruction formanaging the one or more RPA robots comprises an instruction forprovisioning the one or more RPA robots.
 24. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 19, wherein the instruction for managing the one or moreRPA robots comprises an instruction for scheduling a task on the one ormore RPA robots.
 25. The computer-implemented method of claim 19,wherein the instruction for managing the one or more RPA robotscomprises an instruction for decommissioning the one or more RPA robots.26. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:executing a task, by the one or more RPA robots, in the at least one ofthe provider cloud network or the user cloud network; and transmitting,from the one or more RPA robots to the computing device, results of thetask.
 27. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the oneor more RPA robots are in a standby mode having reduced operating costswhen the one or more RPA robots are not performing a task.